Rutherford County Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg and his team of officers and other staff have made great progress in settling into their new headquarters, but there are still a few more boxes to unpack and furnishings and equipment to rearrange. Overall, they are happy to have moved to a more spacious law enforcement center that facilitates greater efficiency and collaboration.

Scott Webber has been named the new Rutherford County Manager. Previous County Manager Steve Garrison resigned the position February 3, to begin a new job with the State of North Carolina as a regional recovery coordinator related to Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Since then, County Commission Chairman Bryan King has served as interim county manager.

Driving into the parking lot of the Drop-In at Hudlow Road and West Main Street, Forest City, the aroma of fresh fried hot wings at Major Lee's brought customer after customer into the store at lunch time. For several minutes, there was a swinging door as one customer after the other stepped up to the counter, placed an order then stepped away for the next customer's order.

Local business people and tourism leaders are once again encouraged as more and more people are visiting the small towns of Rutherford County. Record-setting numbers of visitors were coming to Rutherford County through summer of 2024. But then, Hurricane Helene hit hard in late September, 2024.